Investigates Blog

Problem Solver: If it heads to the dump, it’s gone for good

A reader recently wrote in hoping that somehow he could retrieve some beloved stuffed animals that were mistakenly put curbside and picked up by trash collectors.

“Oh, gosh, Katie, I know I’m asking the impossible, but do need your advice. We’ve had our carpet removed in order to have foundation repairs done (meaning bagging much),” the reader wrote. He added that the stuffed animals — gathered along with years of memories – were placed on the street. “Is there anything I can do? I would be glad to go to the city’s dump and look if I thought I had a chance. With cancer and heart disease, I know my days are limited and hoped at least I could leave my wife with these romantic memories of our relationship.”

It stinks, but the answer is no.

Kelly High, sanitation director for the City of Dallas, tried to see if there was any way to rescue the keepsakes and said that he “feels sick” that he couldn’t help. But the bags were picked up days before the reader asked for help and time is of the essence when dealing
with garbage. Sanitation workers pick up and unload about five tons of the stuff each day, including weekends.

These particular toys had been dumped at the landfill somewhere in an area that is approximately the size of four football fields, beneath about 20 feet of garbage. The area had also been covered in dirt and compacted by machines as big as semi-trucks. There really was no practical way to get to them without heavy machinery and many man
hours of searching. Even if they were found, it’s highly unlikely they would be intact.

High said he doesn’t get many requests for help in retrieving objects and he “feels sick” he couldn’t help in this case. In recent years, most searches have involved requests from police departments and material that could possibly be connected with a crime.